Local

Jacks Seek Bounce Back

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Steve Imming

The South Dakota State University football team will attempt to return to its winning ways Saturday as it travels to Western Illinois for a Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup.
Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. at Hanson Field in Macomb, Ill. The game is scheduled to be televised across Mediacom cable systems, as well as on Sioux Falls-based KOZI-TV.
The nationally ranked Jackrabbits will look to end a three-game losing slide, entering the week with a 3-3 overall record and 0-2 mark in the MVFC.
Western Illinois, meanwhile, is also 3-3 overall under first-year coach Bob Nielson. The Fighting Leathernecks have posted a 1-1 record in league play thus far, recording a 24-10 home win over South Dakota on Sept. 28, followed by a 35-21 loss at Illinois State last week. WIU is receiving a handful of votes in this week’s Sports Network media poll.

Future schedules for the South Dakota State University football team are filling up fast.

A full slate of games for the 2015 season has been finalized, while the program is looking to fill one date each for 2014 and 2016. The Jackrabbits have filled their annual contest against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for each of the next three seasons, starting with an agreement to open the 2014 campaign at Missouri. The 2015 season will kick off at Kansas, with the 2016 season opener scheduled at Texas Christian. The Sept. 3, 2016, game in Fort Worth, Texas, fulfills a contract originally negotiated with the University of Minnesota that was later transferred to TCU.

The non-conference portion of the 2014 schedule also includes games against a pair of former Great West Football Conference foes and current members of the Big Sky Conference. SDSU will open the home slate Sept. 6 against Cal Poly, before traveling the next weekend to Southern Utah for the start of a home-and-home series. The Jackrabbits are in search of a sixth home game on either Sept. 20 or 27 to complete the 12-game schedule.